Stuffed calamari with rice

Stuffed squid with rice, pine nut, and raisins. Simple and flavour-packed Greek dish.

Easy
0:30

2 - 3 portions

15 minutes

15 minutes

Ingredients

FOR THE BAKING DISH

Equipment

Baking tray

Baking tray

Ingredients

FOR THE BAKING DISH

Instructions

FILLING

  1. Wash, drain, and leave them in a colander.
  2. Finely chop some of the tentacles.
  3. Finely chop the onion and the garlic.
  4. Finely chop the spring onion and the herbs to start the filling, keeping a bit of spring onion and herbs aside for the baking dish.
  5. Heat the olive oil in a large pan.
  6. Add the chopped onion and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until softened.
  7. Add the garlic and the chopped tentacles and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
  8. Finally, add the rice and stir for 2-3 minutes to coat it in oil.
  9. Deglaze with the wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate.
  10. Once the filling has dried slightly, add the chopped tomato and 1½ cups of water.
  11. Simmer over low heat for 6–7 minutes until the mixture absorbs the liquid, but do not let it dry out completely.
  12. Be careful with the heat. If it’s too high, the water will evaporate before the bulgur is cooked.
  13. While the filling is still juicy, remove from the heat.
  14. Add the pine nuts, raisins, finely chopped spring onions with their green tops, mint, dill, and parsley.
  15. Set aside a bit of the spring onions and herbs for the baking dish.
  16. Add salt and freshly ground pepper.

IN THE OVEN

  1. To make filling them easier, there’s a trick: make a small slit at the bottom back part using a knife or kitchen scissors so the filling slides in easily without pressure.
  2. Fill them, leaving a bit of space at the opening.
  3. Seal the opening with a toothpick.
  4. In a small baking dish, place 1 onion cut into very thin slices and 1 tomato sliced thin.
  5. This creates a base layer for them to rest on.
  6. Add the reserved herbs and spring onions.
  7. Arrange the stuffed calamari on top in a single layer.

BAKING

  1. Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake in a well-preheated oven at 180°C with fan, on the middle rack, for 15 minutes.
  2. Remove the toothpicks and serve along with the vegetables from the dish. Garnish with the remaining filling.
  3. If desired, you can use the pan juices with some of the vegetables to create a flavorful sauce.

Tips

  • The filling should still have some moisture when stuffing the calamari.
  • Do not overbake the tender calamari or it will dry out and become tough.
  • Always add the herbs at the end of the filling preparation.
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